A Bouquet of Lilies
by EmilyBlackxx
Summary: Lily Evans has everything - four amazing friends, a soon-to-be boyfriend, popularity, brains looks, you name it.  But now her friends' lives all seem to be falling apart, and could she also be falling - for someone she had sworn to hate for eternity?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Much as I wish it did, the amazing world of Harry Potter does not belong to me, but the amazing JK Rowling. All OC's are mine. Umm...that's it. Review please!**

"BRRING! BRRING!" I was rudely awakened from a very pleasant dream concerning myself and a certain Hufflepuff in our year alone in a broom closet by my alarm clock. I sighed, and reached out to grab it to check the time. I peered at it in the dim light, before rolling my eyes. It was 4:30. This was obviously one of Petunia's goodbye presents. However I had foreseen this happening, and gone to bed very early the night before.

As there was no point even trying to get back to sleep, I sighed and got up, forgoing all attempts to recapture that one highly enjoyable dream. I looked around at the bedroom, with my neatly packed bags in the corner. I had a quick shower, and then dried my hair. I couldn't wait till I could finally perform the Drying Spell again, to save so much time. I brushed my long, wavy red hair in the mirror, and pulled it back into a loose ponytail.

I waved goodbye to my beaming but tearful parents, and a scowling Petunia, out the window of the Hogwarts Express. As I made my way down the corridor, I caught sight of many familiar faces as I looked in the compartments. In one, I saw Sev's face. Severus Snape was one of my best friends, but as he was a boy and in Slytherin, we didn't get to spend much time together. I opened the door, and went over to him.

"Hey Sev, guess what, I've been made a prefect," I announced proudly. He looked at me uncomfortably. I noticed his companions, Avery and Mulciber glaring at me with loathing. I walked past them and went up to Sev. "Listen, Sev, do you want to come and sit with me and my friends?" I asked him, lowering my voice.

I watched as Sev looked at the hostile, sinister expressions of Avery and Mulciber. As he looked at me, his lip curled into a sneer. "Why would I want to go to your compartment?" he said coldly. "I'm perfectly happy here, thank you." As I left, my cheeks burning, I distinctly heard Mulciber call, "See you later, Mudblood!" I turned around and gave him my Evil Ninja Lily glare, which seemed to make him shrink into himself a bit.

As I walked along the corridor, I tried not to concentrate on the fact that Sev had just publicly rejected me as a friend. He was probably just scared of Avery and Mulciber, and would come and talk to me later. Besides, even if he was rejecting me, I didn't need him as a friend. I was part of the most popular female clique at Hogwarts. Most guys would die to be my "friend" in the hope that they could be more than friends later. But Sev and I had been friends since before I came to Hogwarts, and I thought of him more as a brother than a friend. Trying to ignore the lump in my throat, I bumped into someone as I walked.

"Alright, Evans?" a loud voice asked.

I sighed. Of all the people I could bump into, it had to be him. James Potter and his friends were arrogant, obnoxious, conceited prats who acted like they owned Hogwarts. Potter and his best friend Sirius Black were the ringleaders; Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin were merely considered as hangers-on by most observers. Remus was the only one I could stand, as he helped me sometimes when studying. I had always wondered how someone as nice as him managed to be friends with those idiots without exploding. I know that I, for one, couldn't do it. Worst of all, all the Marauders, as they called themselves, except Pettigrew were extremely clever, and got the highest marks in everything except Charms, at which I was the best in our year, and Potions, where Sev and I normally came joint top. People always expected my friends to like the Marauders, as we were probably two of the most popular groups in school, but, though we normally had to arrange parties and clubs with them, most of my friends despised Potter and Black like I did, and steered clear of them at normal times.

I'm fine, thank you, Potter," I said haughtily.

"I'm fine, thank you," mimicked Black. I gave him my Evil Ninja Lily glare, and he shut up. That glare always works.

"Hey Evans, you look so beautiful today. Marry me, my darling!" I rolled my eyes. Ever since third year Potter had been asking me out, usually by planning pranks to publicly humiliate me as much as possible.

"The day I'll marry you is the day You-Know-Who marries Professor McGonagall and has six children," I replied in what I hoped was a crushing voice, and left in the most dignified way I could, leaving a not much discouraged Potter and his cronies behind.

"LILY!" I heard three voices scream, as I was tackled to the ground by my three best friends in an enormous group hug. "I've missed you guys so much!" I said, breathless, as we lay on the floor laughing.

"Me too," said Mary, the only other muggle-born in our group. "I had so many plans of magical pranks I could have done on my brother. You guys are so lucky that you can do magic. He has this really annoying girlfriend who hates me, and they're always snogging in every room I want to enter. But even without magic, I managed to put some toads in her bed and slugs in her dinner. She tried to get back at me by making my brother hate me, but please, he's never been able to stand me since I kept making him bald when I was 10."

Mary Macdonald was probably my best friend, though we were all really close. She had long, wavy nut-brown hair, pale creamy skin and big brown eyes. She had a large following of boys, and she was very pretty. She had a sweet, angelic face that deceived many teachers and pupils, but most people knew by now that she was really extremely devious. If anyone got on the wrong side of her, or any of us, she would torment them with pranks and curses, but she was extremely kind and protective her friends.

"I went to Rome," announced Alice. "My dad spent the whole time dragging us around monuments and telling us all about some famous ancient wizard called Paulinus the Prat. He had discovered some old documents about him and wanted to find proof. But I made some nice friends there. Italian muggles are so sweet!"

"I've read all about Paulinus the Prat," I announced. "He was the first person to be put in Azkaban, for creating diseases using magic to kill muggles. In one of his plagues in Rome, about 4,000 muggles died, and –"

"No-one cares Lily," said Mary affectionately, while Alice giggled. Our whole school loved Alice Peverell. She had medium-length curly black hair, and flashing black eyes, but inside she was completely innocent. She always said hi to everybody, and was often needed to smooth things over when the rest of us got into arguments. She occasionally dated Hogwarts boys, but she hated breaking up with them so much she didn't like to commit to serious relationships that much.

"Lucky, Italian guys are really hot. I once dated one called Roberto, but then he started acting really gay, so we broke up," said Marlene McKinnon. "Anyway, my family went to the south of France to visit my uncle Jean-Claude, who teaches at Beauxbatons. Well, there was this adorable French boy who lived next door, called Pierre, and anyway –"

"Please Marl, spare us the gory details," I laughed. Marlene had long, straight blonde hair and tanned skin. She dated about one guy a week, but always found some excuse to break up with them later on. Jealous girls called her a slut, but she didn't usually go further than kissing boys. She was afraid of nobody, and stood up or answered back to the teachers all the time, landing her in millions of detentions. But she was a fiercely loyal friend, and would never betray us to anybody. She was also a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"My summer was awful," I said. "I couldn't get hold of any wizard news, and my parents won't let me subscribe to the Daily Prophet because Petunia finds the owls annoying. Honestly, if she makes one more snide comment to me, I swear I am going to hex her into oblivion. I know she's really jealous, but couldn't she just forget about herself for once? Anyway, I read loads of muggle and wizard books over the summer, and just because I couldn't practise magic didn't mean I couldn't read about it and learn things. Did you know, the Draught of Living Death was invented by –?"

"NO!" they all shouted at once. I sighed. Everyone always says that Alice, with her sweet nature and love of Herbology should be in Hufflepuff, Mary, with her devious plans and revenge plots should be in Slytherin, I with my outstanding grades and love of reading should be in Ravenclaw, and only Marlene, with her fear of nothing, deserved to be a Gryffindor. I do get top marks in most subjects, and because I read so much, I tend to know most answers.

"Anything to eat, my lovelies?" said a voice. It was the food trolley lady.

"Lily, it's your turn," said Mary. They all handed me assorted coins, as I proceeded to buy almost all the food on the trolley. "Thank you," I said, smiling as I paid.

I came over and dumped all the food on the table. As we all grabbed for something, Alice caught sight of my badge, and said, "Lily! You're a prefect!"

"Oh, yes, I forgot, the owl came last week" I said, embarrassed. They all thumped me hard on the back, and congratulated me.

"Did you hear," said Marlene, her mouth full of a pumpkin pasty, "Emmeline Vance fancies Frank Longbottom. How ridiculous?" Marlene was an incorrigible gossip.

"No, it's sweet. They'd be really good together," I said, looking for Alice to agree as she usually did, but she remained silent, her eyes cast down.

"Ew, no she's like a foot taller than him," said Marlene. "But I've also heard that Sophie Jordan went out with..."

We all sat back munching on chocolate frogs or Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and half listened to Marlene's long update on the romantic histories of every pupil at Hogwarts, occasionally adding our own stories we had heard from other people.

Mary was just finishing her anecdote about how awful Katie Stonewall's new hair colour looked, and how Andrew Wood had said that she looked like an enormous grapefruit, when I glanced at my watch. "Guys, I'm really sorry, but I have a prefects' meeting now," I said apologetically.

I left my seat and made the way to the front of the train. On the way, I heard a voice saying, "Give it a rest mate, she meant no." Another voice replied, "No Sirius, actually I think it was cryptic. You see, McGonagall is about the right age for You-Know-Who, and maybe she thinks they'd look good together. They're both talented witches and wizards, and maybe McGonagall can reform him. At least, that's what Evans was trying to say. Trust me, she wants me."

I glared at the two faces in front of me. Potter and Black. "Trust me, I don't," I replied, annoyed.

"Hey Evans, will you –

"Still no, Potter," I replied, cutting him off, before walking past them to the prefects.

**A/N: Phew, that's over. Unfortunately I am not an accomplished legilimens, so I can't tell what you think. PLEASE REVIEW! If anyone does, the first reviewer will get the next chapter dedicated to them. It should be up within a week. That's all for now, folks. Goodnight!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: However many dreams I have in which I do, I sadly do not own Harry Potter, the unbelievable JK Rowling does. **

As I walked into the Great Hall with my friends, I stared up at the ceiling, which was made to look like the sky outside. It was a dark, inky black, completely void of stars. I shivered, though it was very warm in the Hall. The buzz of chatter filled my ears, as we took our seats. Marlene and Alice were having a discussion about who Marlene should date next, but I noticed Mary beside me was also subdued.

"What is it?" I asked her quietly, once we were sitting down.

She looked at me, her brown eyes filled with apprehension and worry. "It's just – all this news about You-Know-Who rising, it scares me. I mean, he's going to attack the muggle-borns first. I'm really scared that he might kill my family as well."

I squeezed her hand, and looked at her. "I'm scared too Mary; terrified actually. I haven't told my family because I don't want to worry them, and there's nothing I could do anyway, not till I'm seventeen."

"Lily, Mary," said Alice, leaning in, "don't you think I'm right in saying that Marlene shouldn't try to get Adam McLaggen and Derek Bigby to go out with her at once, just in case she gets bored of one of them?"

"God, Alice, lighten up. I'd just snog them, nothing more," said Marlene, rolling her eyes.

"B-but still, that's awful!" said Alice indignantly. But Marlene just smiled indulgently and flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder as Adam walked by. I glanced at Mary, and we silently agreed to finish the conversation earlier. We were so close this happened all the time and often people asked us if we were related.

Just then the marauders swaggered in and sat down on the Gryffindor table quite near us. My friends and I instantly assumed haughty, cooler-than-thou expressions. There was a definite rivalry between the marauders and us, in popularity, academic results, and just general awesomeness. Last year we had each tried to see who could throw the most amazing party, and get more people to come. They managed to convince their whole fan club to come, and bribed loads of other people, and so just beat us, but then McGonagall discovered their party and they all got a week's worth of detentions.

"Sirius, is it just me, or does Evans look even more like a beautiful angel than usual?" said Potter loudly to Sirius, who smirked.

"Wow, that definitely goes under the list of worst lines ever," whispered Alice.

"Mary, is it just me, or does Potter look even more like an arrogant prat than usual? I asked Mary, imitating Potter's annoying voice.

"Guys, shut up, the Sorting's about to start," said Marlene. "Look, the one smiling is my sister Ella." We all looked at the miniature Marlene, with identical tanned skin and straight blonde hair, who was trying to catch the attention of a first-year boy.

"Look, she even did the Marlene deluxe hair flip," I said laughing.

Suddenly the Sorting Hat on the chair opened a tear in its brim and began to sing:

_Come on first-years, don't be afraid,_

_Just put me on your head._

_I'll sort you each into a house_

_When I your minds have read._

_I'll choose the house where you belong_

_And that is where you'll be,_

_Just let me decide for you_

_And I'll be right, you'll see._

_If you're courageous and kind_

_Like knights of ancient lore,_

_And if you're true and loyal_

_I'll put you in Gryffindor._

_Or if you possess only_

_Pure-blooded wizard kin,_

_And if you're cunning and ambitious_

_I'll put you in Slytherin._

_Or if you're honest and open,_

_And hard-working enough,_

_And if you're placid and good-natured,_

_I'll put you in Hufflepuff._

_Or if your mind is such_

_That others hold it in awe,_

_And if you're wise and learned_

_I'll put you in Ravenclaw._

_But, though in houses I divide you,_

_It is out of my control,_

_For You-Know-Who is rising,_

_As a school, remain a whole._

_There are dark days ahead,_

_But remember, do not part_

_From other houses; now_

_Let the Ceremony start!_

The hat then began to call up names, and one by one the first-years sat on the chair and were placed into different Houses. After Ella was sorted into Gryffindor, we all tried to guess which person would be in which house to pass the time.

"Look at that one, he looks evil, I can feel it," I said, pointing to a boy who had just come up.

"You think everyone is evil Lily, he looks adorable," said Marlene. "He's obviously a Hufflepuff."

"You're both wrong, he's a Ravenclaw," interjected Alice.

"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat. Alice smiled smugly.

"How did you guess that?" I complained. "You always get it right."

"I observe Lily, even if I don't always talk the most," she replied, knowingly, as we started eating.

Once the meal had finished, Professor Slughorn, the Potions teacher, came up to me. His walrus moustache had grown, and his black eyes beamed. "Lily, m'girl," he boomed in his loud voice. "Fancy coming to another Slug Club party? I'm having one next Wednesday, and I think I might be able to persuade dear Hector to come. Hector Dagworth-Granger, founder of the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers, you know. It will be fun." He smiled like a large baby. "And remember," he added in a jovial tone, "there's no need to get me anything as a present, your company is enough." He laughed loudly.

I smiled back, knowing full well that he would be very hurt and disgruntled if I didn't bring something for him. "I'd love to come, Professor," I said. "It would be fascinating to meet such a renowned person. I would love to be a member of that society one day." I distinctly heard Marlene and Alice both whisper "Nerd" under their breaths.

"And I have no doubt that you will be a member one day, my dear," said Slughorn merrily, as he waddled away.

After the meal, once I had herded all the Gryffindor first-years up to the common room, I noticed Sev beckoning me to come with him. I followed him, and he led me to an empty Charms corridor.

"Lily, listen," he said urgently. "Mulciber and Avery, well, I know they're not very nice to you, but, they're my friends, so I have to act like I don't like you in front of them. But we can still be friends, just not in public."

I sighed. This was so unfair! My friends all thought Sev was horrible, and I had to stick up for him all the time. He had absolutely no backbone whatsoever. No wonder he wasn't a Gryffindor.

"You are so pathetic!" I whispered angrily. "My friends don't like you, but I still hang out with you. You disgust me."

"Please, Lily, just understand this one thing," he said, pleading in his eyes.

"Fine," I said, "but remember I think you are a despicable coward for this." He hung his head, embarrassed, as I stalked away, tears again in my eyes.

...

"Lily, where have you been?" said Marlene drowsily, poking her head out from the crimson hangings of her bed.

"Sev wanted to talk to me," I sighed, as I dropped into my bed, exhausted. "Sometimes he irritates me so much."

"Why are you still friends with him then?" demanded the usually placid Alice, her voice muffled under the canopy.

"I don't know, I've known him for a while, and he's good at Potions, and quite, um, you know, sort of..." I muttered evasively.

Mary's head popped out from in between the hangings, looking detached from her body. "Whatever Lily," she yawned. "But one day you'll have to let him go, when he becomes a Death Eater."

I opened my mouth to argue that Sev would never do such a thing, but then closed it abruptly. Might Sev become a Death Eater? I felt a shiver of fear run down my spine, but then dismissed the thought from my mind. He would never do such a thing. Would he?

I rolled over, and slowly drifted to sleep, in which I dreamt that Slughorn was a teddy bear that I was cuddling, and Sev came and ripped him apart. Then Sev's face changed into Potter's, who kept saying, "Go out with me! Go out with me!" in a monotone zombie voice. Then he bent down to kiss me, but he was a Dementor, about to suck out my soul, and right before he touched my lips the dream changed. I was wandering about a graveyard, searching for names. Suddenly all the graves had the names of all my friends, everyone I knew written on them. It was only when the last grave screamed my name that the dream ended.

**A/N: Sorry about the Sorting Hat song, let's just say poetry isn't my best subject! I know the dream was kinda depressing, but it won't all be. Please review; every time I read one, it gives me a massive high! Tell me how you think I should change it, or what I should put in my next chapter, or if you like it. Thanksxx**


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